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Background

Whether self-control at school entry and changes in self-control in the early school years are predictive of BMI change and obesity onset over the next 8 years using longitudinal data on a nationally representative sample of US children.

Methods

Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class 1998 were analyzed. The analysis sample included 7060 children with data from kindergarten (mean age = 6 years) until eighth grade (mean age = 14 years). Self-control was assessed using teacher-reported scales. Child BMI and obese status (BMI [greater than or equal to] 95th percentile for age and gender) were computed from height and weight measurements. Weighted linear and logistic regression models were estimated, adjusting for child's cognitive ability and a rich set of child and family covariates.

Results

High self-control in kindergarten was associated with lesser BMI increase (p < 0.05) and 43% lower odds (adjusted OR [AOR] = 0.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38-0.86) of new onset obesity over the subsequent 8 years. The beneficial effect of high self-control in kindergarten emerged between fifth and eighth grade. Among children with low self-control in kindergarten, increase in self-control between kindergarten and fifth grade was associated with a 1.42?kg/m2 (95% CI: -2.82 to -0.02) lesser increase in BMI and 66% lower odds of new obesity onset (AOR = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.14?0.83), between kindergarten and eighth grade.

Conclusions

Low self-control at school entry is an important risk factor for unhealthy BMI increase during the transition to adolescence. Increase in self-control in the early school years may prevent unhealthy BMI increase and obesity in adolescence.

This article was published outside of RAND. The full text of the article can be found at the link above.

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